Losing Humanity
by Mushroom the Happy Terrier
Summary: A new enemy is rising slowly from the shadows, seeking revenge on the saviors of the Planet.


_Disclaimer: If I owned Final Fantasy, I wouldn't be making this really pathetic story, now wouldn't I? So the answer is obviously no, I don't own Final Fantasy. ... Yet. Muahahaha! *wrings hands evilly*_

**_Losing Humanity_**

_Chapter one: Worst Possible Scenario_

Vincent sighed. Why must Yuffie act so childish? Honestly. They'd been waiting there for two hours for Cloud, Tifa, and Barret and all Yuffie had done was follow the similar acts of the small children around them. They had all, meaning Vincent, Yuffie, Red XIII, Could Tifa and Barret, had decided to spilt up and search for Cid, who had gone on an 'escapade' and failed to return to his beloved Shera. Naturally, it was a crisis, for Rocket Town seemed to crumble without it's alcohol and foul-mouth addicted mayor, and Shera called upon them, for naturally they should know where the drunkard went. 

Of course, now we must explain where Vincent and Yuffie actually _were_. They were currently at the Gold Saucer. In the arcade room to be precise. And Yuffie had been playing the same fighting game since they had arrived. And had always lost to the same, afro-headed man. For the past 196 times. Well, considering Vincent had nothing better to do, he may as well count how many times Yuffie had lost, ne? 

Red had somehow gotten lost from Vincent's attentive eye, though he didn't as much worry about Red's capabilities and common sense. The last time Vincent had left Yuffie alone, which was quite a while back, she manage to group up a gang of about eighteen burly men to raid a foods' shop for not giving her the correct type of sweet-bread. It had taken quite a long time for Cloud, Tifa, Red, and himself to disperse the crowd and put out the fires. 

Of course that was quite a long time ago. 

"Yeah!!! K.O.!!!" Yuffie screeched, pounding the air with her fists and jumping around in circles. She was so busy celebrating her new victory of the ever-dreaded, ever-powerful afro-man that she was unaware that the new level had begun and she was currently being beaten. 

"Um...Yuffie..." he quietly pointed out, not trying to interrupt her insane victory dance. 

A bit too late. "Game Over" flashed before them. 

"Nooooo!!! I just kicked Afro's ass, too!!!" she cried, beating the holo-graphic machine's controls with a weak fist as she kneeled before the game, bitterly defeated. She then quickly held out a hand. Vincent sighed heavily, placing more gil into the outstretched palm; anything to keep her occupied. 

She had just begun, giggling at every successful punch, when Cloud, Tifa, and Barret walked in through the door, Red leading them towards the two. 

"You said you found something," Cloud stated nonchalantly, stopping before them and placing an agitated hand on his hip. All the three before him weren't exactly the merriest people when Shera pleaded for them to help her. Of course who could saw 'no' to her distressed, tear-streaked face? 

"We did." Vincent held up a pair of brown goggles. 

"That's it?!! We dragged our asses all the way over here for his goggles?!!!" Barret screamed, grabbing Vincent's red cloak. The burly ham hadn't been at his calmest since last month, when the man-hunt (okay, search-party sounds more appealing) began. A month since Cid was last seen. 

Vincent grabbed around Barret's forearm with a metallic hand. "If you would kindly let go before I'm forced to rip off your arm. . ." Hey, he _had_ grown nicer since the last time they meet. "Thank you," he said after he was let go, handing the goggles to Cloud. "That is not all we found." 

"Well, what _else_ did you find?!" Tifa cried, stepping forward. This new mission was perhaps growing more on everyone's nerves than Sephiroth trying to destroy the Planet. 

"The Highwind." 

"Idiot!! By the time you got here, he could be half-way across the Planet!!" Cloud shouted, one of his rare out-bursts. 

"I don't believe so. I fear Cid may have run into trouble during his drunken expedition," Vincent explained. 

All was silent. Excluding the children screaming in joy, Yuffie grunting in almost pain every time her virtual fighter was attacked, and the machine humming and shrieking sound effects. 

"What are you saying?" Tifa first asked, breaking the tension that held their tongues. 

"We found the Highwind, yes, but no one had been in it for quite a while, the bartenders and waitresses hadn't seen him for about two weeks, and most of the women said they hadn't been picked up by him in approximately the same amount of time." 

"Are saying that Cid's, like, _murdered_ or something?!" Tifa cried. It hurt all of them to know that one of their own was struck down. 

"In the worst possible scenario, yes." 

~*~

_Author's note: Hm ... was it too OOC? Ah, well, I dunno. I haven't played it in soooo long. Actually my friend still has it. ... Oh my God! I just realized she still has it!! __*quickly loads a shotgun*_


End file.
